The Enterprise AI Revolution Is Boring, and That Is What Makes It Work
When people talk about the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, they usually imagine flashy chatbots or Super Bowl–ready demos. But as Mark Talbot, Director of Architecture and AI at Appian, points out inhis article on ERP Today, the AI that’s truly transforming businesses is… boring. Quiet, reliable, and deeply embedded into core workflows, this is where real ROI happens.
Talbot calls it “boring AI” because it focuses on the back-end processes that actually run the business: enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, scheduling, billing, and cross-platform coordination. The flashy AI pilots—generative chat tools or marketing-focused bots—are failing 95% of the time because they aren’t integrated into daily work. Employees rarely use them, and executives end up measuring hype instead of measurable outcomes. The magic of boring AI is that it works where it counts. In ERP environments, it reconciles data across systems, automates financial reporting, streamlines supply chain operations, and handles repetitive administrative tasks. For example, a healthcare provider using AI to automate patient intake and documentation reduced waitlist times by over 80%—all without dramatic fanfare. Talbot emphasizes that the real value of AI comes from embedding it into existing processes, not forcing users to adopt separate tools. Governance, audit trails, and compliance should be built in from day one, making AI trustworthy and risk-free. Low-code platforms often make this easier, letting organizations maintain transparency and human oversight without slowing adoption.
The takeaway for IT leaders: the AI worth investing in isn’t flashy—it’s operational. It quietly accelerates ERP-driven finance, HR, and supply chain processes, reduces errors, ensures compliance, and frees teams to focus on higher-value work. In other words, boring AI is the AI that works.
